In another special edition of Off Panel, Image Comics co-founder Jim Valentino joins the show to share his perspective on the origins of Image. Valentino talks how everything came together, what the biggest motivator was to break away from Marvel, why Image worked and other similar ventures didn’t, why expanding beyond superheroes was important, whether it was always their intent to offer the Image deal to others, how Robert Kirkman joined up, Eric Stephenson’s influence, what Image’s “i” means today, how Image’s role in the industry has changed over the years, and more.

You can find my article on the history and evolution of Image Comics on The Ringer.

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Header image is Shadowhawk art by Valentino. Intro and outro music is Vulfpeck’s Outro from their album Vollmilch. Thanks to the band for letting me use the track.